Scented toilet cleansers have already been used for some time to clean, disinfect, and scent toilets. In their original form they are used as solid blocks under the rim of the bowl (“rim blocks”) and in the water tank (“in-tank blocks” or “cistern blocks”). In recent years, aesthetics and performance have acquired ever-increasing significance. This has resulted, for example, in the development of gelled or liquid scented cleansers that are offered in part in multi-chamber containers and thus allow the combination of a cleaning agent, which is delivered upon activation of the toilet flushing system, with constant room scenting.
Conventional solid, liquid, or even gelled scented cleansers are introduced into the flush toilet by means of corresponding apparatuses, called “toilet baskets.” These toilet baskets are rejected by some consumers, however, for hygienic reasons. On the one hand, germs can become established in the course of the service life, which can result in formation of an unattractive biofilm. On the other hand, refilling or replacement of the basket is perceived as unhygienic or even repellent because of the contact that is required, even if there is no visible biofilm adhering to the apparatus. Lastly, certain consumers perceive it as a disadvantage that the basket can be shifted by a toilet brush when the toilet is cleaned.
Self-adherent agents, which are applied directly onto the toilet ceramic and are gradually rinsed off, have therefore been developed. EP 1086199 B1, for example, describes a solid or pasty adherent sanitary agent that encompasses water, anionic and/or nonionic and/or amphoteric surfactants, scents, an adhesion promoter, and optionally further usual constituents, where the adhesion promoter is to be selected from the group consisting of polyalkoxyalkanes, celluloses, starch, alginates, diurethanes, gelatin, pectins, oleylamines, alkyldimethylamine oxides, stearates, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, agar-agar, gum Arabic, locust bean flour, polyacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinylpyrrolidone. Similar pastes are also described in EP 1318191 B1, although in this the adhesion promoter is to be selected from the group of the block copolymers encompassing oligo- or polyethylene oxide and/or oligo- and/or polypropylene oxide and/or oligo- and/or polybutylene oxide.
It has now been found that an adherent gelled or pasty composition that contains at least one surfactant from the group consisting of alkylpolyglycosides, amphoacetates, amphodiacetates, betaines, fatty alcohol ethercarboxylic acids, fatty acid sarcosinates, cocamidopropylamine oxide, aminopropionates, and biosurfactants, perfume, and water, as well as an ester of polyisobutene succinic acid as the only adhesion promoter, can be formulated. This product has a clear and transparent aesthetic and possesses, after application, good dimensional stability over the entire rinsing cycle. Even if the composition does not have water flowing over it for a period of a few hours because the toilet flushing system is not actuated, its shape does not change nor does it become unsightly.
The subject matter of the invention is therefore an adherent gelled or pasty composition for cleaning and/or scenting a toilet, which composition is applied internally onto the toilet ceramic and is rinsed off only after several flushing operations, containing at least one surfactant from the group consisting of alkylpolyglycosides, amphoacetates, amphodiacetates, betaines, fatty alcohol ethercarboxylic acids, fatty acid sarcosinates, cocamidopropylamine oxide, aminopropionates, and biosurfactants, perfume, water, and as adhesion promoter an ester of polyisobutene succinic acid, which is free of further adhesion promoters and surfactants.
This gelled or pasty composition is advantageously applied with an applicator. In an embodiment, two gelled or pasty formulations are introduced into a two-chamber applicator that is also described in patent application DE 10 2012 028352.5.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.